Bradenton man found with explosives wanted to ‘blow up’ roommate, cops say

A week after the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced deputies had found homemade explosives inside the home of an ex-felon, charges have been filed against James Hoskins Jr., 52.

Hoskins has been charged with attempt to make a destructive device and possession/manufacturing explosives with intent to do harm. He is being held in the Manatee County jail without bond.

Deputies initially responded to Hoskins’ home in the 2500 block of 32nd Street East on Jan. 28, after Hoskins made comments to an employee at a substance abuse and mental health facility that he was in possession of materials used to make small rocket motors. He also indicated he wanted to use those materials to harm his roommate by “blowing him up,” according to the arrest warrant.

Staff at the facility reported to deputies that Hoskins said, “I am having trouble with (his roommate) and I want to kill him. I am going to kill (his roommate) by shooting him, breaking his neck or making a bomb to be placed under his bed. One day I spent about 45 minutes watching (his roommate) sleeping in his bed thinking how I would break his neck.”

Hoskins cooperated at the scene, inviting deputies into a room where the explosives were located. Hoskins referred to the room as his “powder room,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies, along with the sheriff’s office’s bomb squad, collected “numerous suspicious chemicals from the residence,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

According to the warrant, deputies found fuses and cardboard tubes, along with several substances that could be used to make homemade explosives. They also found a large bag that tested positive for TATP, “which is a primary explosive and very unstable,” the warrant states.

Law enforcement located about three pounds of the TATP, along with a target on the door of the room that had damage, “consistent with explosive detonations,” deputies say.

Those materials were safely removed from the home and later detonated at a nearby gun range.

Hoskins told detectives he was able to purchase all of the materials online to manufacture the TAPT, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies say Hoskins admitted what he was doing was dangerous and admitted to the statements about harming his roommate, but claimed he had no intention to carry out the threat.

Hoskins was initially taken into protective custody for a mental evaluation with charges pending. Those charges were filed late Wednesday, according to jail records.

Court records show that Hoskins became a felon in 2003. He initially took a plea deal that reduced a grand theft charge to a misdemeanor, but he violated his probation, which prompted his original felony conviction to stand.

In 2004, he was arrested on burglary charges, but the charges were dropped. In 2007, he was arrested on a felony aggravated domestic batter charge, but he took another plea deal where he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. However, he also violated that probation and spent six months in the county jail.

This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 11:03 AM.